The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[+]

VATICAN CITY, JUN 12, 2006 (VIS) - Made public today was the itinerary of Benedict XVI's forthcoming apostolic trip to Valencia for the Fifth World Meeting of Families, due to be held in that Spanish city on July 8 and 9.

The Holy Father will depart from Rome's Fiumicino airport at 9.30 a.m. on Saturday, July 8, whence a two-hour flight will take him to Manises airport in Valencia. Following the welcome ceremony, he will visit the cathedral of Valencia and the basilica of the "Virgen de los Desamparados," After praying the Angelus in the "Plaza de la Virgen," he will address some words of greeting to those present. He will then go on foot to the archbishop's palace where he will have lunch.

At 5.15 p.m., the Pope will pay a courtesy visit to King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain in the palace of the "Generalitat de Valencia." Thereafter, he will return to the archbishop's palace to meet with Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, prime minister of Spain.

At 8.30 p.m., the Pope will travel by popemobile to Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences where, at 9.00 p.m., a festive meeting is due to take place marking the closure of the Fifth World Meeting of Families. On this occasion, the Pope is due to deliver an address. After the meeting, he will return to the archbishop's palace where he will spend the night.

At 9.30 a.m. on Sunday, July 9, Pope Benedict will preside at a Eucharistic concelebration in the City of Arts and Sciences, and then pray the Angelus. At 12.30 p.m., he will travel by car to the airport of Manises where, following the departure ceremony, he will board his plane for Rome. He is due to arrive at Rome's Ciampino airport at 3.30 p.m.BXVI-PROGRAM/APOSTOLIC TRIP/VALENCIA VIS 20060612 (310)

VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 2006 (VIS) - Before praying the Angelus with thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI recalled that today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

"Thanks to the Holy Spirit, Who helps us to understand the words of Jesus and guides us to the truth entire," said the Pope, "believers can experience ... intimacy with God Himself, discovering that He is not infinite solitude, but communion of light and love."

"In this world, no one can see God, but He made Himself known so that, with John the Apostle, we can affirm: 'God is love.' We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. Whoever meets Christ and enters into friendship with Him, welcomes Trinitarian communion into his soul."

"For those with faith, all the universe speaks of God, One and Triune. ... Everything that exists leads back to a Being Who communicates Himself in the multiplicity and variety of elements, as in an immense symphony. All beings are ordered in a harmonic dynamism that we can analogously call 'love.' But only in human beings ... does this dynamism become spiritual, does it become responsible love: a response to God and to others in a sincere giving of self. In this love, human beings find their truth and happiness."

There are, said Benedict XVI, "various analogies of the ineffable mystery of God, One and Triune." In this context he mentioned the family, which "is called to be a community of love and of life, in which differences must come together to form a 'parabola of communion'." Another "masterwork of the Most Holy Trinity" is the Virgin Mary, because "divine love found perfect correspondence in her, and in her womb the only begotten Son became man."

After the Angelus prayer, the Pope invited the faithful to participate, on Thursday, June 15, in the traditional procession for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, which every year passes from the Basilica of St. John Lateran, along Rome's Via Merulana, to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. It is, said the Holy Father, "an occasion that expresses the faith and love of the Christian community for their Lord present in the Eucharist."ANG/TRINITY/... VIS 20060612 (380)

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Grenoble, France, presented by Bishop Louis Dufaux, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Guy de Kerimel.

- Appointed Fr. Ilidio Pinto Leandro, pastor of the parish of "Sao Salvador" in Viseu, Portugal and president of diocesan secretariat for the clergy, as bishop of Viseu (area 3,400, population 285,600 Catholics 271,300, priests 169, religious 160). The bishop-elect was born in Rio de Mel, Portugal in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1973.

- Appointed Fr. Anibal Nieto Guerra O.C.D., pastor of the parish of "San Judas Tadeo" in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Fr. Marco Perez Caicedo, rector of the major seminary of Guayaquil, as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of Guayaquil (area 18,711, population 3,309,084, Catholics 2,978,176, priests 240, permanent deacons 25, religious 487). Bishop-elect Nieto Guerra was born in Formaselle, Spain in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1982. Bishop-elect Perez Caicedo was born in Daule, Ecuador in 1967 and ordained a priest in 1992.

- Appointed as consultors of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, for the Section of Religious Institutes: Bishop Jean-Louis Brugues O.P., of Angers, France; Msgr. Massimo Camisasca, superior general of the Priestly Society of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo, Italy; Fr. Paolo Martinelli O.F.M. Cap., president of the Franciscan institute of spirituality at the Antonianum Pontifical Athenaeum, Rome; Fr. Sante Bisignano O.M.I., professor at the Pontifical Urban University, Rome; Fr. Benoit-Dominique de La Soujeole O.P., professor at the faculty of theology of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland; Fr. Bernard Pitaud P.S.S., provincial superior for France of the Suplician Fathers; Fr. Agostino Montan C.S.I., professor at the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome; Fr. Luigi Borriello O.C.D., professor at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Pontifical Theological Faculty, and the Pontifical "Teresianum" Institute of Spirituality, Rome; and Sr. Jolanta Olech U.S.J.K., superior general of the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Agony, president of the conference of superiors major of Poland.RE:NER:NEA:NA/.../... VIS 20060612 (360)

VATICAN CITY, JUN 10, 2006 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter, written in Latin and dated May 18, in which the Pope appoints Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" and of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, as his special envoy to Singapore, for celebrations, due to be held from June 21 to 23, marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between that country and the Holy See.

The mission accompanying Cardinal Martino will be made up of: Msgr. Eugene Vaz, vicar general of the archdiocese of Singapore; Msgr. Brian Udaigwe and Msgr. John John Kallarackal, respectively counsellor and secretary of the apostolic nunciature to Singapore; and Fr. Patrick Goh, chancellor of the archdiocese of Singapore.BXVI-LETTER/SPECIAL ENVOY/MARTINO VIS 20060612 (140)